Relic from the Past
by Ashley Laredo
Summary: The Cullens are leaving Forks. It's two years after Breaking Dawn, and people are starting to get suspicious, not to mention the open hostility from the Quileute Tribal Elders. However, they must postpone their plans when someone completely unexpected shows up-someone from Carlisle's human past! What has Carlisle been hiding all these years? Someone the Volturi want desperately!
1. Chapter 1

2 years after Breaking Dawn

Bella POV

"Bella. Come on. Please." Alice was trying to cajole me into joining her in her weekend expedition to Seattle-though she hadn't directly said it, I knew it would involve shopping, lots and lots of shopping.

"Alice. No. I told you. I'm seeing Charlie this weekend anyway." I was determined to remain firm on this point-I wasn't going to let my undersized pixie of a sister-in-law change my mind for me.

"Bella," Alice whined. "You know you need an entirely new wardrobe if you're going to play a college student in our next move." I rolled my eyes.

"You have my measurements if I need new clothes, I-" I stopped midsentence. Alice's eyes went blank; I could tell she was having a vision. I waited a moment, motionless as only a vampire can be, for the sight to return to her eyes. When it did, she was disgruntled.

"Well," she huffed. "I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Looks like nobody will be going anywhere this weekend after all."

"Why? Is it sunny?" I desperately wanted to see Charlie. We were moving in four months to West Virginia, and I wanted as much father-daughter time as I could get.

"No." It was Edward who came up behind me. He must've seen the vision in Alice's mind. "We're having a visitor," he murmured in that perfect velvet voice that had, if at all possible, become even more perfect after I changed.

I pouted. "But what about Charlie?"

"Don't worry, Bella. You can still see Charlie," Alice said resignedly. "I won't be shopping, though. This one is too important to miss."

"Why?" Again, I was curious. Alice and Edward exchanged a wicked grin.

"**You'll see," they said in unison. Uh-oh. It was never a good thing when Alice and Edward ganged up. **


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was Saturday. I ran to Charlie's and stopped short when I smelled Billy Black's distinctive scent on the porch. I stiffened. I hadn't seen Billy since the change, and I wasn't sure how he would react. My thirst was completely under control, of course, it had been since the moment I woke up. I wasn't sure if Billy knew that though.

Although it was completely unnecessary, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and knocked on the door to what was my house until almost three years ago.

"Dad? It's Bella. Can I come in?" With my new enhance hearing, I didn't miss Billy's sharp intake of breath when he heard my changed voice. I winced. I'd forgotten to use the "rough" voice I used around humans. Charlie was used to it, though.

"Sure. Come on in, Bells." Naturally, Charlie and Billy were watching a sports game. Charlie was deeply absorbed in it, and although Billy was pretending as though he were, too, I heard his heartbeat increase as I stepped into the room. Charlie managed to tear himself away long enough to stand up and give me a hug. "Nice to see you, sweetheart."

"You too, Dad." I walked over to Billy. I wasn't sure how to greet him. Since I didn't have Edward's skill of mindreading, I had no idea what his reaction to me was. I settled with holding out my hand for him to shake.

"Hi, Billy. Nice to see you, it's been a while." I tried to be polite. He eyed my pale hand apprehensively and made no move to take it. Even though I was the same Bella I'd always been, the legends of his tribe were too deeply ingrained for him to accept me as I was.

"No need to get too familiar there, Bella." Billy said nervously. I sighed. I'd known this man for my entire life. There was no way to convince him that my thirst was under control, not with Charlie in the room. He turned his attention back to the TV. Charlie hadn't noticed the uncomfortable exchange. I went and sat down at human speed on the other side of the room.

A few minutes later, Billy spoke to me, surprisingly. "Walk with me, Bella?" He asked apprehensively. I nodded and stood, helping him get his wheelchair off the porch once we were out the door.

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Even Jake couldn't lift that one-handed. Amazing".

"What is it, Billy? You know all about us 'Cold Ones'. You can't have asked me out here simply for a demonstration of my strength."

He sighed. "Bella, I can't trust you anymore. You've changed, and not for the better."

"Actually," I said, rather offended. "My change was necessary. And I only changed bodily. I'm still the same Bella I always was!"

He shook his head. "No, you're not. You're not human anymore, Bella. You may not be hurting humans now, but...What if you lose control? How do I know you even feel human emotions anymore?"

"I'm still perfectly human inside!" I said indignantly. "I've had perfect control since the moment I awoke. I still feel emotions, compassion. Billy, can't you accept that maybe vampire aren't as horribly evil as you always thought they were?"

He looked at me, and I saw the Chief of the Tribe in his eyes. "No, Isabella, I can't. It may be a flaw, but better safe than sorry. You've changed. You'll never be the same, and I can't trust you anymore. I don't even know you."

"Yes, you do!" I all but shouted. "Stop thinking-"

He cut me off. "Bella, I'm asking this for the good of the tribe, for the good of Forks. I know you and the Cullens are moving soon. I need you to never come back, once you leave. Don't return to Forks. Ever." His words stunned me into silence.

"I..Charlie..no...I'm sorry, Billy, but I can't do that. I can't leave Charlie like that."

He ignored me. "Someday, you will hurt Charlie. You won't even care that he's dead." I just gaped at him, shocked. I knew Billy was prejudiced, but I assumed he'd come around like the rest of the Quileutes did. Apparently he felt differently. Maybe seeing my pain, he leaned in and whispered, "Bella, you made the decision to leave Charlie behind forever the moment you married Edward Cullen." With that, he rolled his wheelchair around and pulled out a cellphone, calling for Sue Clearwater to come and pick him up. I could have caught him in a heartbeat and made him see reason, but I didn't. Because although I may disagree with him about the Cullens and myself, I couldn't ignore the fact that Charlie might get hurt. I couldn't make myself deal with it if he were to die because of my continued involvement with him. Like a robot, I turned and marched back to the house, ready to talk to Charlie. I needed this to be the end of seeing him. I could still email him, but no more visits. Billy was right. It was too dangerous. I couldn't tell Charlie the real reason, of course. But I knew how to convince him.

"Hey, Dad," I said as I walked into the living room.

"Hey, Bells. What happened to Billy?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the TV.

"He, uh, felt sick and called Sue to come and pick him up," I lied. I was getting better at this deception thing since I had no blood to cause my cheeks to blush furiously every time I lied. "Dad, can I talk to you for a sec?" He grunted. "As in, right now." Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away from the Yankees.

We walked out in the woods a ways before I opened my mouth.

"**Dad, the Cullens and I are mov-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence before I caught the scent. Oh no. Another vampire, and not one I recognized.**


	3. Chapter 3

Oh no. Another vampire, and not one I recognized. My head snapped towards where the scent was coming from, a spot high in an elm tree in front of us. Oh god. I didn't think it was one of the Volturi, but...

"Bells, what is it? Don't go all quiet on me like that." Charlie, with his inferior human senses, couldn't understand what was going on.

I grabbed his arm, perhaps a little too hard. He would have a large bruise.

"Ow, Bella, what-" Fast as lightning, I put a hand across his mouth.

"Dad, I need you to be absolutely silent for a minute, okay?" I whispered, even though I knew the unfamiliar vampire could hear us. "Don't move." I flashed to underneath the tree. I could just make out the small shape, crouched high above me.

"Come down!" I called. A small, lithe shape somersaulted off the limb and landed directly in between me and Charlie. I was correct. She was a vampire. She was very small, shorter even than Alice, with an extremely petite body. She must've been changed around fifteen or sixteen, although she looked very young, she had definitely gone through puberty. A wild, dark mass of curls surrounded her very narrow face with features that were somehow very familiar, although I couldn't place them. She was wearing tight black leather pants, a tight cream-colored silk blouse that looked expensive although it was tattered and torn, and no shoes. She was extraordinarily beautiful, but not in the way Rosalie was. She had a peculiar, delicate kind of beauty that was only accentuated by her tiny frame. Reluctantly I looked at her eyes, wide with shock and curiosity, and saw, unfortunately, that they were a deep red. My eyes registered all of this within a millisecond, and I moved to her side, restraining her.

"What do you think you're doing here?" I asked, too low and fast for Charlie to understand. She easily broke my grip, then stepped back and smiled easily.

"I mean no harm," she answered in a high voice like a brook running over stones. She had a British accent, although from a much earlier century. "Although, I must admit, the human smells delicious." She closed her eyes and inhaled. Charlie was frozen with fear. I narrowed my eyes and snarled. Her bloodred eyes snapped open, and, seeing my look of malice, she instantly was contrite.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I won't hunt in your territory. Is it yours?" She nodded towards Charlie. "I'm not thirsty, don't worry. I ate just outside of Seattle."

I ignored the strange vampire girl. I wasn't sure what to make of her. "Charlie, get back to the house. Now." Charlie nodded and sprinted back. I looked at the girl. "You, on the other hand, are coming with me." She smiled again, and it was like the sun lighting up a cloudy day. She really was stunning.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. Here. I'm Esmeralda." She offered a petite hand, and I shook it. Despite her interest in my father, there was something about this peculiar creature that I liked. I smiled back.

"Bella."

**Her eyes widened. "Bella Cullen?" I nodded. She squealed happily, sounding like Alice. "Good! I've been looking everywhere for the legendary Cullens!" **


	4. Chapter 4

"Good! I've been looking everywhere for the legendary Cullens!"

I was instantly on my guard. "Why? You aren't Volturi, are you?" She shook her head quickly.

"I was, but...no more. I've been looking for...personal reasons. I won't hurt anyone, I promise." She smiled, and I was inclined to trust her.

"Then let's run," I said encouragingly. She grinned happily and we took off.

Edward and Alice were waiting on the porch, grinning smugly when Esmeralda and I arrived. It was then when I realized that she was the "visitor" they were talking about.

"You knew?" I said to Edward, punching him playfully.

"Why do you think we didn't stop you from visiting Charlie?" He grinned, smiling that crooked half-smile that melted my heart every time.

"Merl!" Alice shouted and launched off the porch, tackling the nervous vampire. "I know we're going to be friends." They were very similar, but ALice's face was not where I had seen Esmeralda's peculiar features before.

Esmeralda giggled and extracted herself from my over exuberant pixie-sister. "You must be Alice, the psychic. Which makes you," she pointed at Edward, "the mind-reader. Bella's husband." She bounced up the steps, looking very much like Alice, whose arms was still linked in hers. "Hello, Edward." They shook hands. I was glad to see that Edward decided she could be trusted. The rest of my family, minus Carlisle and Esme, filed out the door and greeted Esmeralda like a little sister. No doubt Alice had informed everyone but me of her appearance. She was grinning happily, and it was clear to everyone that she felt excited to belong somewhere. Thankfully, no one commented on her red eyes and our differences in diet. I wasn't keen to bring that up yet.

We toured the house with her, and she kept up a steady stream of comments about the decorations. I was happy that my family made her feel comfortable, because clearly she had had a lonely and bitter existence. I wondered how much of her comfort was due to Jasper. Esme joined our little tour group and greeted the little vampire, who was positively beaming to be so fussed over. It was clear that she was not a cruel person by nature.

We sat down in the living room and began to talk. She asked us, naturally, about our lives and our diet. We answered her, but she seemed reluctant to answer questions about her past. Having been informed that Carlisle was still at the hospital, she decided to wait until the leader of our coven was home. We all heard his Mercedes turn onto the drive and Esmeralda suddenly stiffened. She looked apprehensive, although I wasn't sure why. I moved my shield aside to let Edward know my curiosity. He frowned and shrugged. Then his eyes widened as he heard something in Esmeralda's thoughts. He looked sharply at her. His mouth was open in shock.


	5. Chapter 5

His mouth was open in shock.

"Truly?" He asked her. She started and looked at him earnestly. She nodded. I nudged Edward.

"What?" I wanted to know what their exchange was about, as did Rosalie and Alice, the ones who had noticed the silent conversation. However, none of us got our question answered, because it was then that Carlisle entered the room.

He looked over at us, a query in his eyes, and then he saw Esmeralda. His mouth dropped open. He looked incredulous. Everyone except Edward and Alice looked around at each other, confused, but Carlisle had eyes only for the strange newcomer.

"Merl?" He said, using Alice's peculiar nickname. She nodded, smiling, and bit her lip before flying straight to his open arms. They were both dry-sobbing, along with Alice, who, along with Edward, was the only one who also understood what was going on. Esme was worried.

"Edward, he-" she asked, but he smiled and shook his head in response to her thoughts.

"No, it's nothing like that." Esme looked relieved. After a few more moments of what we all took to be joyful reunion, judging by Edward, Alice, and Jasper's expressions, Carlisle and Esmeralda ended their embrace. Both were grinning hugely.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have the honor to present Esmeralda Cullen-my long-lost twin sister!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: I like to keep my chapters short and to the point, please don't be discouraged! The story will keep going for much longer, I'm excited to develop the character and history of Esmeralda and her relationship with the Cullen clan!**

Edward POV

I couldn't help but smirk as Carlisle dropped the bombshell on the rest of the family. Even Alice hadn't known about his secret; He had done a very good job hiding it. Esmeralda, however, hadn't. I had known from the minute Carlisle's Mercedes turned onto the drive. I absorbed the turmoiled thoughts swirling around me and laughed silently at some of them.

Emmett: _Wow. She's waaaay to young for that to be possible. I mean she must've been born...what...16..40...something! She would be like...three hundred..sixty-REALLY OLD.  
_Emmett, although well-versed in cars, was never stellar at math.  
Esme's reaction was typically maternal and caring: _How sweet, a family reunited after all this time. They must be so happy to be together!_ I would never ceased to be amazed by her kindness and...motherliness.  
Jasper was simply excited for Carlisle, I could tell that much by his face. Alice's thoughts were excited and jumping all over the place: _Ooh, yay! They're so cute...really do look a lot alike...but she's tiny...smaller than me! Heehee...Ooh, I bet she's my size! Well, we better go shopping just in case...Bella too, since she wriggled her way out of going this weekend...hmm..I think green is her color..._I quickly steered away from her fashion-obsessed thoughts, not wanting to unknowingly volunteer for the shopping trip.  
Rosalie, after celebrating her father-figure's happiness, became critical. _Hmm, she's cute. Not pretty, cute. She's got a childish figure. Emmett BETTER not be interested. Oh, I wish I had a nose like that..._I unconsciously looked at her nose; just like the rest of her, it was stunning. Bella's thoughts, as usual, were hidden, but I could tell that she was happy for the reunited family just by her expression.

Carlisle and Esmeralda were letting unabashed joy run through their minds-Jasper must be loving the emotional states of this room right now, minus Rose's jealousy. I'd had time to get over the shock, unlike the rest of the family-I wanted to know the story behind this little vampire. I liked her-she had an open, cheerful mind and seemed honest. However, I could feel the cold iron and ruthlessness running underneath the optimistic outlook on life that let me know she was capable of much more than she looked. She could be cold and cruel, I realized. I didn't think I would ever see that side of her however...until Jake stepped through the door with Renesmee hanging off his arm.


	7. Chapter 7

Bella POV

Jacob opened the door and froze in his tracks when he saw the red-eyed, hateful gaze of Carlisle's sister. She snarled, long and low. To everyone's surprise, Renesmee detached herself and ran to Esmeralda, before clapping a hand to the cheek of the vampire girl who wasn't much taller than my daughter herself. Esmeralda shook herself and straightened. The low growl coming from her throat ceased but she kept a wary gaze on Jacob.

"What's she showing her?" I whispered to Edward.

"She's letting Esmeralda know that she's not an immortal child, she's our daughter, and telling her not to harm Jacob because he is 'hers', as she puts it." Edward said grimly.

"_Hers?_" I asked incredulously. "Will Esmeralda even listen? Why is she so upset with Jake?"

"I'm not any happier with her opinion than you are, dear heart. That's just what Nessie is saying. Esmeralda won't wish to harm Jake because it would hurt Nessie and all of us. She won't want to jeopardize her standing with us, even though she is prejudiced against Jake because of...her past. I don't know what." Edward relayed quickly. It was so helpful to have a devoted husband who could read minds. With a shock, I realized we still knew nothing about Esmeralda's past as a vampire.

Esmeralda smiled down at Nessie, her anger mostly forgotten, it seemed. "I won't hurt him, child." Satisfied, Nessie pulled her hand from Esmeralda's cheek and climbed into Edward's lap. Esmeralda's gaze snapped back to Jake almost instantly. "That is, if the _dog_ doesn't cross any lines. I don't understand, Carlisle," she said, turning to her twin, "how could you befriend the Children of the Moon?" _Oh_. That explained her hostility towards Jake. Children of the Moon were true werewolves, and many vampire considered them our archenemies.

Carlisle opened his mouth to explain about the Quileutes, but before he could, Jacob stepped forward. "I'm not-" was all he had time to say before, fast as a bullet , Esmeralda's hand smacked into his chest, causing him to fly into the door frame and break the door. I winced-I heard a few ribs crack from the force of the blow. "Not a step closer, mongrel," she growled, her red eyes flashing. Jacob groaned in pain. Esmeralda nodded in satisfaction, as though _pleased_ with the pain, before Jasper moved to her side and explained about the La Push packs.

"Oh," she said. "So they're not-oh, I'm sorry, Jacob." Although she understood, she still seemed hesitant to trust him. "Esme, I'm sorry about the door." She winced, knowing that her rash actions were not without consequences. Esme, ever the angel, nodded.

"There's nothing to forgive," she said kindly.

Rosalie sauntered forward. "_I,_ for one, am happy that _someone_ recognizes the _mutt_ as a nuisance." Rosalie's enmity with Jacob was well known. She winked at Esmeralda, who grinned back.

"Shut it, Blondie," Jacob groaned from across the room. Thank God he healed fast.

"Merl," Carlisle said calmly. "I think it's time you told us about your history. Clearly, we have some things to discuss." I, for one, was extraordinarily curious as to her history. All I knew was: she was Carlisle's twin, she was born in the 1640s, she was a member of the Volturi, had an encounter with the Children of the Moon, and had never developed a conscience, nor did she seem likely to without our help. And how had she remained hidden from Carlisle for all these years? I saw her swallow apprehensively, before feeling a wave of calm and reassurance from Jasper. He winked.

Esmeralda opened her mouth. "I was born in London in 1646, four minutes before my brother Carlisle." She glanced at him ruefully, already knowing he would challenge it. From what I had seen of the competitiveness between Jasper and Emmett, it seemed likely that this was a point they argued over frequently. As predicted, Carlisle contested it.

"No, I believe I was the older twin." He said confidently.

She smiled sarcastically. "Well, you definitely are now, I stopped aging seven years before you, old man!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: I'm really excited to finally be writing from Esmeralda's point of view-ready to learn all about her hidden past?**

Esmeralda POV

I was nervous to be telling my story to the Cullen family. Though Carlisle might be my biological family, I hadn't spoken to him in over 350 years. I had to admit, I hardly knew him anymore. These people were his life, these complete strangers. I hated myself for not trying to find him sooner, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, only to find he had died 100 years before. However, the golden eyes and diet decision told me that he still retained the kindess and compassion I knew he had in his human life. I didn't know if I still had them, if I ever did have them. I knew that I could trust him, Esme, and Alice to understand and forgive my actions. The others I weren't sure about, though Bella and Edward seemed nice. I couldn't decide if I should reveal my gift or not. One look at Edward told me I had already spilled the beans just by thinking about it. That was settled then. Time to let go of all my secrets.

"I was born in London in 1646," I began. I wanted to see if Carlisle would argue about our ages as he always did in our human lives," four minutes before my brother Carlisle." Naturally, he objected.

"No, I believe I was the older twin," he said loftily. He winked at me, letting me know that he remembered our hour-long arguments.

I giggled. "Well, you definitely are now! I stopped aging seven years before you!"

Alice jumped upon my quick retort. I noticed that Alice was sharp as a tack, despite her girly tendencies. "So you were sixteen when you were changed?" I nodded.

I hated talking about my human life. "As a child, I was nothing like my brother, though we were inseparable. I shared nothing of his thirst for knowledge, wanting only attention and affection. If I could hurt someone to get attention from my removed and aloof parents, I would do it in a heartbeat. I was a manipulator from the start. Carlisle, you would always try to change me. You thought I could be better. I couldn't be changed. It was just the way I was. When I got old enough that boys began to notice me, I would flirt outrageously, much more than was considered seemly for a girl my age. I was a heartbreaker, but our parents knew nothing about it. I made you, Carlisle, keep my secrets, and you did out of loyalty to me. One night, Father was going out to hunt so-called vampires. I didn't say goodbye. That was the last time I ever saw him. Carlisle was studying in his room. I snuck out to meet a boy in a local tavern. We drank and laughed and kissed and talked all night. I realized that it was getting late. Intoxicated as I was, I managed to make it halfway home before I collapsed in an alleyway, tired and retching from all of the cheap ale I had imbibed. It was not a glorious last night as a human. Jeodus found me there. I suspect that it was the same, ancient Latin vampire who changed you, Carlisle. He saw me, an easy target. His eyes were black, I realized as he fell upon me to feed. However, the alcohol in my bloodstream saved me. Difficult as it was to stop feeding, the poison in my veins repulsed him and he threw me aside. The damage was already done, however; the venom was in my veins. I screamed and cried and begged for mercy as the fire seared my body. Luckily, I supposed, there was a thunderstorm that lasted for days, keeping the townspeople inside. I was safe from discovery. When I awoke, I was sopping wet and thirsty. There were no victims to feed from. I was consumed with rage that Jeodus hadn't been able to finish the job and kill me. I may have been a manipulative little slut, but I still went to Mass and I knew now that I had become devil-spawn. I easily followed his scent down to the sewers where he lived. They repulsed me. I screamed at him angrily, demanding to know why he did this to me. He said it was an accident, that he had left me for dead and hadn't believed I had lived. I was terribly angry and ready to kill him, but his companion, Julian, came up behind me and restrained me. I saw pity in his eyes and knew that I could trust him. I went out into the city to hunt. There was no one outside. I fell upon one beggar woman, but she was sickly and not enough to satisfy me. I had an idea. I knew from the many puddles that I was beautiful now. I ran to the home of the boy I went out with the night I died. I knocked on his door, and luckily, he answered. He was speechless at my transformation and invited me in. I flirted with him a little, but his human imperfection sickened me and I soon gave into thirst. I drained him and his mother before I was sated. I returned to the sewer, where Jeodus told me Julian was out hunting as well. He made a pass at me, and unthinkingly, I ripped off his hand. He bit me several times before Julian returned. I suspected that Julian was even older than he was. He seemed to understand me and we developed a relationship. Jeodus grew jealous of our love and we escaped to France. We lived in France until the 1700s, doing anything and everything. Those were some of the worst years of my life. Despite the fact that I was with the man I loved, I lied and stole and cheated and gambled and murdered and broke every moral law my father had ever managed to instill in me. Every night I feasted on human blood. Around 1705, we attracted the attention of the Volturi. They had Eleazar with them. He knew I had a gift even before I did. Aro decided he wanted me. Julian was allowed to go free, but I was captured by Felix and Demetri and brought to Italy to be 'trained'." At this point in my story, I shuddered at the terrible memories I was about to bring up. My deepest regret of becoming a vampire was the perfect recall. There was no way for me to suppress traumatic experiences as I had done so in my human past. I continued on, my voice flat and emotionless. "Aro read my mind. He knew that I was talented, although I had no idea how to use it. He and Caius decided to force it out of me. Every day I was tortured, as much as a vampire can be. Caius would tear off my limbs to have me scream in hopes of getting me to use my gift, only to reattach them when I came as close to unconsciousness as a vampire can be. I was allowed to feed every night in order to regain my strength." I pushed up the sleeves of my shirt, revealing more scars than even Jasper had. "Although many of these are from my later battles, some of them are from those terrible years in Volterra." I let my shirt drop, seeing Esme's expression of pain. "After a few years, Aro acquired Jane, and she became my foremost tormenter. She finally drove me to using my gift. I had been screaming for hours on end, and longed for nothing but relief. I thought that cool water would quench the burning fires, so like those of my transformation, that Jane inflicted on me. I thought of the Thames, how I would swim there in my childhood. I could picture the cool water, almost feel it. I concentrated on that image, and the pain went away. I opened my eyes, and I was _there_. I could see its watery depths, feel the water on my skin. I was lost in that blessing of a moment before I returned to my dungeon room in Volterra."

"So what was your gift?" Emmett asked. "Time travel, oh man that would be sooo cool!" Rosalie slapped his head.

"Pay attention!" She hissed.

Edward was looking thoughtfully at me. I knew he was reading my memories as they were brought to the forefront of my mind. "Illusion," he said quietly, thoughtfully. I nodded.

"So, like what Zafrina can do?" asked Nessie, reminded of her favorite "aunt" in the Amazon.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but Edward beat me to it. "No, Esmeralda is exponentially more powerful. Her illusions manipulated your senses directly. Rather than creating an image in your head, as Zafrina does, she directly manipulates the flow of energy on your optic nerve, the nerves on your skin." I nodded.

"Marcus described it as electrical manipulation. I fiddle with the flow of electrical energy from your nerves to your brain, making it do exactly what I want it to do. It's far more stable than a hallucination, and can't be blocked by Bella's shield, as far as I can guess."

My brother looked fascinated. "So your gift, it involves all of the senses? How much energy is required to maintain it? Do you have a range? Any limitations with-" Esme cut him off.

"Carlisle, let's let her finish her story. We can do some experimenting later." He nodded, chagrined. I was excited that my twin's coven was so open to me, however, rather than afraid.

I continued on, refreshing my memory. "After I had found my gift, I became Aro's new play toy. He would have me manipulate the guard's sensory input to see how they would fare in battle with an illusion, or to help him relax after a battle. He even used me for entertainment," I said with revulsion. "I was mainly kept away from the castle, however, because we were both in Volterra at the same time, Carlisle, and Aro knew from our minds of our relation. He didn't want us to know the other was still alive. I was instrumental in the deaths of thousands of our kind, and the surrender of even more. Every time Aro would want something from a coven, I would accompany him to distort the opposing side's impression of us. I would incapacitate them, or intimidate them so much that they would immediately surrender. I didn't realize how much he was using me until he sent me with Caius on an expedition to exterminate the Children of the Moon, around 1800 or so. I won't go into details about our, well, genocide for lack of a better term, but when our so-called cleansing was over, I rescued a familiar vampire from their dungeons. He was one of the few who were still alive. It was Julian. We had a happy reunion for a few days, until Caius came looking for me. Julian had convinced me to run away with him, make a better life in a new world. I was just as in love with him as ever. But Caius found out what we were planning and ripped his head off right in front of me." I shivered, trying to regain my composure at the retelling of the death of my mate. I was reduced to a whisper. "For that, I made him endure tortures more terrible than even Jane could inflict. For days on end, he suffered. In the end, Felix, sent by Aro to monitor our progress, subdued me before I could distract him. He brought me back to Volterra, a pathetic remnant of my former self, and all too aware of Aro's manipulation. Chelsea's gift would no longer work on me, wracked by grief as I was. Aro sentenced me to death. As the guard approached me, I made myself disappear. They could not hear, smell, touch, or see me. I was gone. I slipped through their ranks and was on the next ship from Venice to the "New World". I had missed most of the American Revolution and was eager to explore the new place, start a new life, free from the Volturi. I stayed in Massachusetts for a few decades, living a nomadic life. I used my gift to erase my thirst and was able to attend Harvard, creating papers for myself from ragged newspapers with my gift. Then the American Civil War broke out." Jasper growled at this. "I decided to fight." The Cullens' expressions were ranging from shock to outright disbelief. "Why not? I could reload in less than a second where it took others minutes. I wouldn't eat their food, and they would gain a valuable soldier. I refrained from actually entering the battles however, to give myself less exposure. I took my spot as a sharpshooter. With my vampiric abilities, I never missed."

"Which side did you fight on?" Jasper asked intently. I laughed.

"Isn't it obvious? I fought for the South, of course! After having preyed on them for centuries, I cared little for human rights. I saw slavery as a wonderful thing; thousands of humans, mostly strong and athletic, who nobody would question the disappearance of, and none of them were guarded! It was a perfect opportunity for a vampire. I preferred non-Caucasian blood, as well. The darker the skin, the more potent the flavor. I liked the size of the Africans, for they had far more blood than their smaller European cousins." I stopped, remembering that the Cullens refrained from consuming human blood. Their expressions ranged from longing (Jasper, Emmett, Renesmee) to interest (Bella, Rosalie, Edward, Alice) to disapproval yet understanding (Carlisle and Esme) to straight out fury from Jacob. I glanced curiously at Jacob. What would Native American blood taste like? The Indians I had run into had peculiar musk about them. Edward chuckled; I forgot he could read minds!

"I doubt Quileutes would be very appetizing,"he smirked. "You've smelled the dog!" _But what about the other tribes? Non-shapeshifting ones?_ I asked silently, still curious. He shrugged. "I've never had the opportunity to try." I stifled a laugh; the mutt had deduced the subject of our conversation and was shaking with anger, literally. Jasper sent a wave of calm throughout the room and he got his fury under control. I had forgotten that the battle-hardened veteran was an empath.

"The story..." Alice prompted.

"Yes. About halfway through the war, I couldn't take it anymore. I had prided myself on my control, but the open wounds of the soldiers and the seemingly permanent smell of blood became too much. I escaped to Texas and met Maria briefly." I glanced at Jasper; he was frozen. "I refused to join her cause and, after drifting around the US for a few more years, decided to turn back to Europe. There I stayed until last year, when rumors of the Cullens began to float around the country. I dismissed them as merely coincidence, until I met up with my friend Alistair, yes, the very same, who was panicking about being dragged into a Volturi confrontation. The only sense I could get out of him was your names, and something about a non-immortal vampire child. When I heard the name Carlisle Cullen, I knew I had to track your coven down. And here I am," I smiled. Esme wordlessly got up and hugged me.

"Welcome to the family, Esmeralda."


End file.
